More Kraftwerk tunes coming your way, here’s a new cover of Spacelab by ‘organfairy’, details below:

After discovering that there is a vocoder effect in the multitrack part of CoolEdit pro I have thought about how I could use it. And then a couple of months ago someone suggested to me that I should play something by Kraftwerk.

And now I have added these two factors together and played the classic track “Spacelab” that was originally recorded back in 1978 on the album Man Machine.

Apart from the vocoder software and the old Telefunken microphone I use Yamaha HE-8 and Technics SX-C600 organs, Roland SH-2000, Korg Poly 800, and Roland JX-8P synthesizers, and finally the little Wersi M.A.X.1 module for the rhythm.

Most of the sounds are only treated with some reverb or echo. But I had to speed up the sequence in the beginning in post production because that was the only way I could do that particular sound.

And sorry about the goofy face. I am not used to singing on camera but I wanted to show that it is really me that sings – allthough in a modulated fashion

A while back Twitter followers of Vince Clarke could read that he had started a collaboration with the 36-year old Norwegian singer Ane Brun. The collaboration resulted in a cover of the Depeche Mode song “Fly On The Windscreen”. The song is included in the the trailer for the newest book, “The Blessed”, by Tonya Hurley, the New York Times best-selling author of the ghostgirl series. It’s not the first time she tackles an electropop song. In the past she also covered Alphaville’s “Biog in Japan”.

In case you wonder who Ane Brun is, she was born and raised in a rather musical family and is the daughter of Jazz singer and pianist Inger Johanne Brunvoll. Since 2003 she has recorded eight albums, six of which are studio albums (including a collection of duets) and one live DVD. She has lived in Stockholm, Sweden since 2001, where she writes, records and runs her own label Balloon Ranger Recordings. Ane also featured as one of the guests on Peter Gabriel’s 2011 studio album “New Blood”, singing on the re-recorded version of “Don’t Give Up”, recorded in 2010. She was subsequently invited to perform with him as support act and back-up singer on the “New Blood” tour throughout 2010.
Via SLmag

This is not intended as a 1-to-1 reproduction of Jean Michel Jarre’s famous classic. It is more like my shot at it using the instruments that I have.
It’s funny that just because JMJ used an Eminent U310 and later an Elka X-705 then these exact organ models sells for astronomical prices while most other organs can be bought for peanuts.

So therefore I have used Elka X-30 and Technics SX-C600 to play most of the arrangement. I don’t have a MiniPops 7 drum machine so I used a Rhythm Ace. One thing I did to make it more authentic was that I manually added the quijada sound to the rhythm. I synthesized it on my Roland JX-8P because I felt that it was vital for the mood of the melody. The sequence that runs through the first part was programmed on the little Korg Poly 800 and most of the sound effects was made on my Roland SH-2000. Finally I added the sound of my homebuild zimbelstern because I hadn’t got a clue on how to make the huithuithuithuithuit sounds of the EMS synthesizer that I assume Jarre used.
For once I had the sheet music. I found it at the public library – you know, the house with books made of real paper in it. But it’s not easy when the composer doesn’t follow his own notes on the recording he made!

I haven’t added many effects efter the sounds were recorded. Just some panning, reverb, and echo.

In this cover The Pain Machinery takes on The Klinik’s classic song Hours + Hours – take it way >>

You may also want to check out TPM’s latest release:

The Pain Machinery and Complete Control Productions proudly present the new
TPM album Restart. More potent than ever before, the sound takes influences from
classic UK synth punk, Chicago acid house and Belgian industrial disco,
combining them with a futuristic groove. Featuring guest appearances from //TENSE//among others. This is music both for the mind and for the (darkest) dancefloors.
Audio/video teasers are available here. View the press release here.

The vinyl edition of Restart is limited to 300 copies (the first 100 on clear blue vinyl).
A download coupon for the digital version of the album is included.

First cover using the Roland Promars analog synthesizer. Tubeway Army used to use Minimoog for the lead part. The Promars has two VCO’s (and a sub oscillator) even thought it is more limited than the Moog.
This is a cover based on the live version.

The ProMars CompuPhonic is essentially a classic, monophonic version of the Jupiter 4. It has 10 preset sounds (not too great) and 10 user programmable preset patches. The preset sounds include Bass, String, Clavi, Piano, Voice, Trombone, Sax, Trumpet, Synth I and Synth II. A very standard and well laid out set of knobs, sliders and edit controls give you the power to create some really cool sounds.

There are two individual VCO oscillators that can be de-tuned, a nice VCF (filter) with its own ADSR, a typical VCA envelope section, a nice LFO and a pitch/mod wheel that can effect the LFO, VCF or VCA. It even has a noise generator.

The Promars Compuphonic makes a unique alternative to other Roland SH-type synths since, although it has very SH-type controls and layout, its sound and preset capabilities are more like the famous Jupiter synths and at a fraction of the cost. Nice wood casing and Vintage appeal.

A cover of warm leatherette by the normal put together on a teenage op1.

“Warm Leatherette” was released as the B-side to “T.V.O.D.”, the only single by Miller’s musical project The Normal. It was the very first release on his Mute Records label, and an early example of the then-burgeoning industrial music genre. The lyrics of the song reference J.G. Ballard’s controversial 1973 novel Crash.

Miller plays a series of sawtooth waves on a $150 Korg 700S synthesizer. It was recorded in his apartment using 2 ReVox B-77 tape machines. With ‘Mute 1′ written on it, it sold thirty thousand copies

And here’s the original version:

“O.K HERES A PUZZLE, THE NORMAL,ROBERT RENTAL BECOMES DANIEL MILLER.THERE WAS NO VID FOR THIS SONG,SO I MADE ONE UP FROM A LIVE CLIP FROM WHEN DANIEL MILLER GIGGED WITH ROBERT RENTAL AS THE NORMAL,THIS WAS THE ONLY SINGLE FROM THE NORMALSO ENJOY.”

Diskodiktator’s Johan Billing has returned from the silent part of the world with a new musical project. Johan Billing did a full cover of the debut album from S.P.O.C.K last year. This summer it’s all about the first album by Elegant Machinery.

Billings vehicle for this project is again Diskodiktator Electric Orchestra with whom he is currently working on “Degraded Faces” bringing you 10 tracks of Elegant Machinery covers as you’ve never heard them before.